Dumping car



Aug- 27, 1929. G. A. MINETTY mmrme CAR Filed July 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11 I i I] Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED STATES GEORGE ALEXANDER MINET'IY, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

DUMPING CAR.

Application filed July 8,

This invention relates to dumping cars adapted to. be used on steam and electric railways for construction and mining work, or for any other similar capacity where materials, such as coal, gravel, stone, sand, and the like, are transported and unloaded at points of destination. This invention is in the nature of an improvement on the dumping car shown and described in my prior Patent No. 1,013,801, dated January 2, 1912.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a dumping carwhich will be simple and relatively cheap to manufacture and devoid of complicated parts which are likely to get out of order. Another obj ect is to provide improved means in a dumping car, having tiltable or rotatable hoppers, for tilting the hoppers to discharge the contents thereof.

Another object is to provide improved means for securing the tiltable hoppers in upright position and for releasing the hoppers from the securing means during the tilting operation. Another object is to provide improved hopper tilting mechanism and hopper locking mechanism operated by a compressed air motor which may be furnished with compressed air from a locomobile or other source of compressed air supply.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, this invention consists in the several novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts here inafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification in which-- Figure 1is a fragmental view, partly in side-elevation and partly in central longitudinal section, of a dumping car. embodying a simple form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of a fragment of one end portion of the car;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the car illustrating the dumping mechanism; and

- Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring tosaid drawings, the reference character 5 designates a car frame usually composed of longitudinally extending frame member 6 and transversely extending end frame members, one of which is shown at 7 Upon said frame members may be secured plates forming a platform 8. The car frame is, of course, provided with the ordinary trucks, brakes, etc., common to freight cars.

1929. Serial No. 376,507.

Upon both ends of the car frame are mounted standards or bearing brackets 9, there being two oppositely disposed standards at each end of the car and located adja cent the outer sides thereof. Rotatably mounted in said standards or bearing brackets 9 is a pair of spaced tiltable hoppers 10 which normally occupy the upright carrying position shown in solid lines in Figs. 3 and 4. Each hopper is formed with side walls 11 and 12 and with a bottom wall 13 which merges into the side wall 12 by a rounded part 14. The side walls and bottom are reinforced by ribs or stays 15 and 16 bolted, riveted, or otherwise fastened thereto. As many ribs or stays may be provided as are required to give the necessaryrigidity and strength to the sides of the hoppers. The ends of the hoppers are closed by end walls 17, preferably reinforced by ribs or stays 18 that radiate from the axes of rotation of the hoppers.

Projecting from said end walls 17 are trunnions or stub shafts 19 which are rotatably mounted in the upper ends of the standards orbearing brackets 9. The drawings show the bearing brackets at one end of the car, but it is to be understoodthat the other end is provided with similar supports for the hoppers. The axes of the hoppers are so disposed with respect to their bodies that the hopperstend to assume the upright carrying position shown in solid lines in Figs. 8 and 4, whereby after the hoppers have been tilted into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, they tend to resume their normal upright carrying position by gravity.

In order to prevent the hoppers from swinging past their upright carrying positions when being returned to such positions, abutment members or shouldered devices 20 are provided upon the car frame, against which shouldered portions 21, formed on the ribs or stays 16, abut when the hoppers occupy their upright carrying position. It will be observed from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, that the shoulders 21 of the ribs 16 are free to move away from the abutment members 20 whenever the hoppers are tilted towards their dumping position, and that when the hoppers are returned to their upright carrying position, the'shoulders 21 will engage the abutment members 20 and arrest the hoppers in their upright position.

The mechanism for tilting the hoppers to upward the links 23 other end to a cross member 24 that is slidably mounted upon a centrally located post or upright 25 which is secured to and extends up from the car frame. The upper ends of the links 23' may be curved, as is shown in Fig. 3, to enable them to pass over the hubs of the crank arms 22, when the links are raised to tilt the hoppers.

A wedge block 26 guided to move lengthwise of the car frame is arranged to engage the cross member 24 of the hopper tilting mechanism when moved under the same, to thereby lift said cross member 24 and thrust the links 23 in an upper and outward direction to thereby tilt the hoppers. The wedge member 26 is operated from a compressed air cylinder 27 mounted upon the car frame and adapted to be connected by a suitable pipe line 28 with the compressed air source in the locomotive coupled to the car or to any other source of compressed air supply. The compressed air cylinder contains a piss ton 29 which is connected to the wedge block, in part, by a rod or bar 30. It is to be observed that whenever compressed air is admitted to the compressed air cylinder 27, the piston 29 is forced towards the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby advancing the wedge block 26 underneath the cross member 24 and thereby raising the latter and moving of the hopper tilting mechanism.

Conveniently, a compression spring 31 may be contained in the compressed air cylinder for returning the piston 29 and parts actuated thereby to normal position when the compressed air is exhausted from the cylinder. The compressed air supply may, of course, be controlled directly from the locomotive connected to the dumping car or to a string of connected dumping cars, containthe invention, or individual valve mechanism may be provided upon each car for controlling the supply of compressed air to the compressed air cylinder 27 of that car.

While the hoppers 10 are held in their upright position by gravity, means are provided for positively preventingthe hoppers from tilting outward except when actuated by the hopper tilting mechanism. As shown, said means comprises a locking bar 32, preferably of channel formation, which spans the gap between the side walls 12 of both hoppers with its flanges 33 overlapping the upper edge portions of said walls, as is clearly shownin Fig. at. Any tendency for either hopper to tilt'outward upon its fulcrum is resisted-by the channel locking bar.

hieans are provided for raising the channel locking bar and thereby disconnecting it from the hoppers to permit the latter to tilt upon their fulcrums, and, as shown, said means comprise a wedge block '34 guided upon the car frame to move lengthwise thereof and connected to the piston of the compressed air cylinder 27 by a rod 35.

Adjacent the forward end of the wedge block 34: is a hollow post 36 rigidly secured upon the'car frame, which post is slotted for the passage of the wedge block 34 therethrough, and slidably contained in said hol low post 36 is a rod or bar 37, the upper end of which is securedto the channel lockin bar 32. The lower end of the rod or bar 3r is located in the path of the inclined edge of the wedge block 34, so that when said wedge block is moved in a direction to tilt the hoppers, the inclined edge engages with the lower end of the roc 37, thereby raising said rod and tl'ierewith the channel locking bar 32. As shown, the wedge blocks 26 and 34 are directly connected by the rod 30 whereby they move in unison and the inclined edge on the wedge block 3% is arranged to engage and lift the rod or bar 27, and raise the channel locking bar above the upper edges of the hopper walls before the wedge block 26. acts upon the cross member 24: of the hop cr tilting mechanism, thereby releasing the hoppers from their locked position before the tilting action begins.

At the ends of the channel'locking bar are secured downwardly extending rods or bars, one being shown in the drawing at 38, which are guided in hollow posts 39, similar to the hollow post 36, and formed with slots in their lower portions for the passage of the wedge blocls 26. This arrangement provides means for guiding the ends of the channel locking bar to and from the hoppers. If desired, the upper ends of the hollow'posts 36 and 39 may be provided with outwardly flanged members 40 that serve as abutmcnts or stop members for the upper ends of the hopper walls 12.

In the operation of the mechanism, the parts normally occupy the positions illustrated in solid lines in the drawings. Compressed air being admitted to the cylinder 27, the piston 29 is moved forward, thereby moving forward the two wedge blocks and 34:. During the initial forward movement of the wedge blocks, the inclined. edge of the wedge block 34: engages with the rod 37 and lifts and disengages the channel looking bar 32 from the side walls 12 of the two hoppers, and immediately thercafter'the inclined edge of the wedge block 26 engages with the cross member 24 of the hopper tiltlng mechanism and moves upward along the post 25 on which it is guided, thereby thrusting upward and outward the links 23. which, in turn, swing the crank arms" 22 in an outward direction from the center of the car. The crank arms turn the trunnions 19 and therewith the two hoppers 10, thereby tilting said hoppers into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, whereupon their contents are discharged therefrom. Compressed air being exhausted from the cylinder, the piston 29 is returned to its normal position under the influence of the compression spring 31, whereby the wedge blocks 26 and 34 are retracted and the hoppers swing back into their upright carrying position through the influence of gravity, the channel locking bar dropping over the upper edge portions of the side walls 12 of the hoppers after the latter have returned to their upright carrying positions.

While the cylinder 28 and piston 29 therein have been described as operated by compressed air, it is to be understood that any suitable motor or ram may be employed capable of being operatedvby compressed air, steam or other fluid under pressure. It is further to be understood that the car may be made of varioussizes to suit any special requirements and the usual running gears and other equipment common to freight cars, such as air brakes and the like, is provided, as is customary.

I claim:

1. In a dumping car, the combination of a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted, side by side thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a locking bar spanning the gap between said hoppers and having Wall engaging members overlying adjacent walls of the hoppers, and pressure operated means for actuating the hopper tilting mechanism and said locking bar.

2. In a dumping car, the combination of a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted side by side thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a channel shaped locking bar spanning the gap between said hoppers and having flanges overlying adjacent walls of the hoppers, and pressure operated means for actuating said hopper tilting mechanism and said locking bar.

3. In a dumping car, the combination of.

a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted side by side thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a locking bar spanning the gap between said hoppers and having members engaging over the adjacent walls of the hoppers, guide means for guiding said locking bar to move to and from said walls of the hoppers, and pressure operated means for actuating said hopper tilting means and said locking bar. 7

4. In a dumping car, the combination of a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted side by side thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a locking bar spanning the gap between said hoppers and having members engaging over the adjacent walls of the hoppers, guide posts mounted on the car frame, guide rods carried by the locking bar and guided by said guide posts, and pressure operated means for actuating said hopper tilting means and said locking bar.

5. In a dumping car, the combination of a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted side by side thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a locking bar spanning the gap-between said hoppers and having members engaging over the adjacent walls of the hoppers, guide means for guiding said locking bar to move to and from said walls of the hoppers, a locking bar lifting rod guided to move in an upright direction, and pressure actuated wedge blocks adapted to operatively engage said hopper tilting mechanism and said locking bar lifting rod.

6. In a dumping car, the combination of a car frame, a pair of spaced hoppers tiltably mounted side by side-thereon, hopper tilting mechanism, a locking bar spanning the gap between said hoppers and having members engaging over the adjacent walls of the hoppers, guide means for guiding said locking bar to move to and from said walls of the hoppers, a guide post mounted on the car frame, a locking bar lifting post secured to said bar and slidably guided by said post, two connected wedge blocks guided upon said car frame adapted respectively to operatively engage said hopper tilting mechanism and said locking bar lifting rod, and a pressure operated element operatively con nected to said wedge blocks.

, 7. In a dumping car, the combination with a pair of spaced tiltable hoppers arranged side by side, of a channel shaped locking bar spanning the gap between adjacent walls'of said hoppers and having flanges overlying said adjacent walls, a bar lifting rod depending from said channeled locking bar, a guide post for said rod, a wedge block adapted to engage with and lift said rod, and pressure operated means for advancing said wedge block int-o operative engagement with said bar lifting rod.

8. In a dumping car, the combination with a car frame, a pair of spaced tiltable hoppers arranged side by side with their centers of gravity disposed nearer the center of the car frame than their axes of oscillation, whereby said hoppers tend to swing into upright position, there being reinforcing ribs on the outer sides of said hoppers having shouldered portions adjacent the bottoms of the hoppers, abutment members mounted on said car frame in position for engagement with said shoulders on the hoppers when the latter are in upright position, and pressure operated hoppertilting mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29-day of June, 1929.

GEORGE ALEXANDER MINETTY. 

